Research into battery technology, the EV supply chain and hydrogen vehicles has been backed by more than £30 million of funding, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has announced.
Announced by Minister for Investment Gerry Grimstone, 22 studies will receive a share of £9.4m, including proposals to build a plant in Cornwall that will extract lithium for use in electric vehicle batteries, a plant to build specialised magnets for electric vehicle motors in Cheshire and lightweight hydrogen storage for cars and vans in Loughborough.
The government-backed Faraday Institution is also committing the first year of a £22.6m programme to continue its work to further improve the safety, reliability and sustainability of batteries.
This latest round of studies funded includes a Cornish project to scope out the feasibility of a sustainable lithium supply chain for EVs, a magnet plant to produce lightweight magnets for EV motors, and a hydrogen storage for vehicles scheme, which will asses whether a light, low permeability storage tank is achievable.
The Faraday institution will funding to explore battery safety, solid state batteries, and recycling and reuse of batteries to increase sustainability. It will also examine the use of batteries on the energy grid and for aerospace. Under the Institution’s strengthened commercialisation strategy, which has also been launched today, it will identify and target market opportunities, ensuring that the UK remains a competitive global leader in the latest battery technology.
Minister for Investment Gerry Grimstone said: “We have set an ambitious target to phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. To support that it is crucial we invest in research so we can power ahead with the shift to electric vehicles as we build back greener from the pandemic.
“The world leading research announced today showcases the very best of British innovation and it will support all stages of the automotive supply chain to make the switch to electric vehicles – from developing batteries, to exploring how to recycle them.”
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